The development of computers and telecommunications, and particularly the Internet, increases the complexity of the tasks for the network manager, also known as the Information Technology Administrator, who has to manage the networks and network nodes, and particularly to ensure that the devices forming the Intranet of a company or a private organisation fully fit the requirements of the users. This particularly covers the management of the different elements of the network, including the nodes, the computers, the printers, the switches, the hubs and the modems. The IT manager has to ensure that the different elements which compose a network fully operate in a satisfactory fashion, but also that each machine is loaded with the appropriate Operating System, and also With the adequate software applications.
Different tools are known for facilitating the management of devices, printers, routers, switches and computers composing an Intranet network. HP OpenView™ manufactured by Hewlett Packard Inc., IBM TIVOLI™ manufactured by IBM Corp. , CS Unicenter TNG etc . . . HP TopTools™ is another tool for facilitating the network devices or network nodes management.
Among many different installation and maintenance operations, the IT Administrator has to support the PC cleanup and defragmentation of the different hard disk of the computers, the loading of the appropriate software packages and particularly the update of the antivirus tools, the backup of the files, the software update, the resources monitoring and the e-mail notifications.
Although some tools have been designed to facilitate the tasks of the IT administrator, basically, by using specific agents on the different devices, it still appears that the handling and the management of an Intranet requires a highly qualified professional, which has to remain within the vicinity of the Intranet network.
There is a wish for enabling the control, the maintenance, the update of the devices within an Intranet by a Web server which is located elsewhere, outside the Intranet, what is generally hindered or made difficult by the presence of the proxy and the firewall.
The arrangement of a Firewall mechanism for the purpose of supervising the ports of communication with the Internet network is an obstacle to such external control.
The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to design a process which allows the handling of a Intranet network, including the different subnets composing that network, by an external centralized Web server for the purpose of constituting a Web portal dedicated to the control, the inventory and the maintenance of an Intranet network.
Another technical problem is to facilitate the control of an Intranet network by an external Web browser, without requiring changes to be brought to the existing proxy and firewall arrangement and without requiring installation of specific administration tools.